From the first lie ever told, the best and most convincing lies have some ring of truth to them. I suspect that the reason why they are effective is because the hearer must only take a small leap to the falsehood from what is probable and plausible. If truth is nestled into the heart of the lie, then the deception is gobbled up with the reality.
Now one might suppose that the better you know the "deceiver", the more critical you might be to determine the falseness. However, the opposite is also true: the better the deceiver knows you, the more catered the lie can be to your own personal experiences.
Tricky thing, this lying game! And since that is the task for this week's creative nonfiction prompt for 
For my entry this week, let's delve into my travel in the last 24 hours where I felt like I was royalty!!! I'm literally typing this on the plane as I descend into Heathrow in the next 30 minutes. Fun, yeah? Yeah!
Let's see if you are a good detective... how well do you know me? and maybe more importantly, how well do I know you? Let's begin and see who wins this battle of wits!
I packed three bags. Two large suitcases that were checked and one that was carry on. The majority of my baggage was gifts. I might have gone a little overboard...hahaha But this was my first time meeting so many people! I wanted to come with things that expressed my joy to meet them!!
However, I'm only one person - and transporting all that bulky luggage had me PANICKED. My husband assured me that when I returned the rental car, there would with 100% certainty be those airline carts there to assist me with my baggage-handling! I arrived. The man directed me to park behind the line of cars, all with people exiting their vehicles with plenty of hands to help. But me? alone..And not a cart in sight.
"Excuse me... do you have the carts here? The ones where I can stack my luggage?"
"No. no carts here."
Lololol I just looked at him, and laughed. I couldn't believe that I was out here, about 2 miles from the airport and not enough arms to drag my luggage...what in the world could I do?
He saw my distress and asked how he could help.
"I just have all this luggage and I'm not sure how I'm gonna get it to the airport now."
"oh! Just hop back in the car, I'll take you."
"You will!!?"
"Sure that's part of what we provide!"
"You do?!?". This was news to me! But I was thrilled! I had my own chauffeur?! WHEW!
He looked at the line of cars that I was stuck behind. "How much of a rush are you in?"
"Well, it's an international flight. I'm supposed to be there 3 hours before."
He looked towards the gate, and then back and me, smiling conspiratorially.
"Wanna take the new Tesla model we just got in?"
I didn't even hesitate. I just grabbed my bags and headed to the sleek little silver roadster, calling my name!
hehehe...this was just the START of the crazy things that happened on my trip so far!!!
When I got to the check in, it was time to finally pass off these massive suitcases and travel easier! I was thrilled to be a much lighter Jetsetter. The cost of the second luggage would be an extra $100, but I had already taken that into account when I calculated the cost of shipping a box to the UK...This was still the better option.
I walked up to the agent, huge smile on my face. I'm a firm believer in being kind to service people... they work hard, and a little bit of appreciation goes a long way. I told her about how I had packed maybe half of one of the suitcases for me, and the rest was all gifts. She laughed and told me that's always the way. She had a grandmother that was asked to bring so many items once, that she ended up NOT packing her own items at all. The entire luggage was dedicated space for gifts! We giggled back and forth, sharing more stories - a couple from India that brought 9 suitcases of gifts, a single traveler that was suspected of nefarious things due to how much coffee he was bringing back from vacation...(hehe Google why this is a thing, if you need to!)
I joked and told her that I was trying to find the best seat for the last 3 weeks by constantly checking the seat map on the app, and that I had changed my seat 6 times, and was actually considering upgrading my seat.
"To first class?"
"hahaha no! no I cnt afford THAT... LOL though I would love that for a 10 hour flight! hahaha. No...just the next level of economy for me! Big spender that I am! hahaha"
She laughed and told me she couldn't guarantee that I would be sitting alone but that there was a good chance I would be happy with upgrading.
"Let's do it!". I paid the additional $43 and that was that....or so I thought!
"Well now since you upgraded, you actually have 2 checked bags for free. So you don't have to pay the $100 2nd luggage fee!"
I'm not kidding...I jumped up and down like a little girl! hahaha She looked at me- surprised, and then just busted up laughing with me.
"Ok!! hooray!! Now I just need all your good vibes for the plane ride...think I will get my own row?? haha"
"Oh don't worry. I'm going to be looking out for you "
I had no idea what that meant. Did that mean she would "mark" the seats next to me as occupied? Did that mean she would slip a note in the system to help me out? I didn't think more about it...My luggage was dropped off, I was starving...time to go get a gluten free burger! lol
I arrived at the gate very early, and I was very content to just sit in the seats, plug my phone in...and chat with Sam as I waited for the plane.
My app was saying odd things that seemed to contradict what the airport was saying, but no one else seemed to mind, so I just chilled and waited for any strange announcements. None came. Happy travelers!
When it was finally time for the boarding to begin, I looked down at my phone to see which group I would be in. Earlier, I had checked to see if the new seat has been updated. After a few short flickers, it did, and was showing 47c.
Now it was time for me to confirm my boarding group. Checking and.....a few short flickers again and I'm in group 1.
wait...group 1?? awwww was that the little "good vibes" she sent me? She had me checking in early so I could get settled in and cozy! How sweet of her!!
When I scanned my boarding pass, the gate agent looked up at me with a little smile.
"Mam, you're seat has been changed to 7c."
"7c?!??! but isn't that up in business class?"
"No mam, that's first. Veronica says you're welcome."
I did NOT get a whole row to myself....hahaha because, well, the seats up there don't NEED rows to themselves. They have full on BEDS and are stacked in a way that you're kind of your OWN aisle. So, I have not only just had my first flight to UK...but it was in the lap of luxury.
so what is the moral of this story?
Just be nice. Not for what you get..but for what you give.
...and sometimes it comes back around too!!!!
so what do you think? Think you know me and my "luck" well enough to see what was true and what was a lie? hehehe
Can't wait to see your answers in the comment section!!!
This post was my entry for
Image is mine, created with Midjourney
